Green Bay Packers: Week 7 Snap Counts & Key Takeaways

Here are the Week 7 snap counts from the Green Bay Packers’ win in Houston, along with some key takeaways from those numbers.

With a long list of injured players this week and not just any players, but several significant members of this Green Bay Packers team, including Aaron Jones, David Bakhtiari, Kevin King, and Darnell Savage, to name a few, a number of backups had to step up and contribute. And that is exactly what happened.

Although not a backup, we saw Billy Turner have an excellent game out of position at left tackle, while Henry Black put the game to bed with a forced fumble. We also saw Vernon Scott make a big open-field tackle, Josh Jackson and Will Redmond see significant playing time, while Jamaal Williams handled RB1 responsibilities with ease. Not to mention that there was also a pair of touchdown receptions from Jace Sternberger and Malik Taylor.

So when it was all said and done, due to all of the moving parts this week, the snap count numbers for some looked a bit different than what they had during the first five games of the season. Below, Matt Schneidman of The Athletic has a detailed breakdown of each player’s snap counts from Sunday, and I’ll be going through my biggest takeaways from these numbers.

• We saw Josh Jackson give up a touchdown reception and get flagged for a big pass interference penalty in Tampa Bay a week ago, but as I mentioned above, he played 100 percent of the defensive snaps this week. He’s provided a boost in the run game with his ability to make tackles at or even behind the line of scrimmage, and in coverage against Houston, he allowed three receptions on four targets but only 26 total yards.
• On the flip side, and to my surprise, Ka’dar Hollman had zero defensive snaps. While I didn’t expect him to take over Jackson’s role next to Jaire Alexander, I did expect Hollman to get more snaps this week. However, I was clearly wrong.
• Coming off of IR and making his NFL debut, Kamal Martin took 29 defensive snaps, and goodness, was he fun to watch. There were a few plays in particular against the run that really stood out. He identified the play, attacked the hole, and wrapped up the ball carrier. It’s been a while since we’ve seen that level of playmaking at the LB position here in Green Bay.
• After recording 28 snaps against Tampa Bay, Montravius Adams sees another 23 in Houston. Since the New Orleans game, he has really been stringing together some nice performances, and it’s showing with his playing time. Over the first three games, Adams had just 33 total defensive snaps.
• Oren Burks is in no man’s land, and it shows with his playing time. Martin and Krys Barnes have taken over at LB, while Burks just simply isn’t built to be an edge defender. Although he’s a solid special teams player, he is being phased out on defense with only five snaps on Sunday.
• The rookie duo of Vernon Scott and Henry Black combined for just 19 snaps, but they sure made them count. Scott made a big tackle in the open-field as Houston was threatening to score, while Black recorded two tackles and forced the fumble at the end of the game.
• Without Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams was the workhorse, being on the field for 55 of the Green Bay Packers’ 62 offensive snaps. Meanwhile, A.J. Dillon saw only 14, and until he can become more of a factor in the passing game, he isn’t going to see much playing time. Right now, he is strictly a runner, and when he’s in the game, that can telegraph to the defense what is coming. And that is the opposite of Matt LaFleur’s “illusion of complexity.”
• Marquez Valdes-Scantling was on the field for 51 snaps, yet he had little to show for it, finishing the game without a catch on only two targets, including another crucial third-down drop.

• As should have been expected, the Green Bay Packers are easing Equanimeous St. Brown back into things. While I know everyone was excited to have him back, that game in Tampa Bay was his first regular-season action since 2018. I believe he can become a difference-maker this season still, but it’s going to take time.

All stats courtesy of Pro Football Focus (subscription required)